T

he Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Mikhail Y. Galuzin, has criticized Western governments for the ongoing sanctions imposed on his country over the conflict in Ukraine, decrying them as '€œillegal'€ and contradictory to the rules of international trade.

Galuzin accused the West of hypocrisy as the sanctions contradicted the principle of free-market economies. '€œWe are strongly against this policy,'€ he said in a media briefing in Jakarta on Monday.

Sanctions were first applied in March last year by Western countries including the US, Canada and Australia as well as the EU following Russia'€™s annexation of Crimea.

In response, Russia announced import bans in August last year on agricultural and food products from the countries imposing sanctions.

Galuzin denied that these import bans constituted sanctions similar to those he accused the West of imposing illegally. '€œIt'€™s a response to Western sanctions,'€ he added.

He also said the sanctions had '€œbenefitted no one'€ and had left Russia with no choice but to retaliate. '€œIf we are treated by the West as we are treated now, do you think Russia will just swallow it and continue business as usual? No, we won'€™t do that. We will respond.'€

The sanctions, combined with falling oil prices, have had a major impact on the Russian economy. In 2014, the rouble lost 41 percent of its value against the US dollar and 34 percent against the Euro. The result has been a dramatic increase in the price of imported goods and inflation of more than 10 percent. Rising food prices, in part due to the ban on the import of many foreign foodstuffs, have also placed a strain on the economy.

But in a diplomatic stalemate reminiscent of relations during the Cold War, Galuzin said Russia would not lift import bans until the West removed its sanctions. '€œOur response [...] will depend on how the West behaves itself toward Russia,'€ he said.

Galuzin further said that Moscow would not discuss with the West any criteria or conditions for ending the sanctions.

Despite Russia'€™s demand that the sanctions be lifted, they are unlikely to be until the conflict in Ukraine eases, according to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

She confirmed on Monday ahead of regular talks between EU foreign ministers that the EU had no plans to lift sanctions on Russia and would only discuss doing so '€œbased on improvements on the ground [in Ukraine]'€.

Mogherini had suggested in a confidential memo seen by Reuters that member states could start talking to Russia again about global diplomacy, trade and other issues if Moscow implemented agreements to end the separatist conflict in neighboring Ukraine.

'€œThe point under discussion isn'€™t our support for Ukraine. That stays strong and firm,'€ Mogherini said as quoted by Reuters.

Russia sees itself as an innocent player in the Ukrainian crisis and President Vladimir Putin has consistently denied that Russia'€™s actions in Ukraine are aggressive. In October last year, Putin told journalists that accusations Russia was encroaching on the sovereignty of its neighbors were '€œgroundless'€.